Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-22
CHAPTER XNXIV.
rANrA coErzEE TO THE RESCUE.

| TANTA COETZEE TO THE RESCUE.
After jess had been set free by the Foers
outside Hans Cootzees place, John w,.s
sharply ordered to dismount and ofisa,ldie
| his horse. This he did with the best grace
| that he could muster, and the horse was knee
battered and let loose to feed. 1t was then
| indicated to him that he was to enter tho
| house, which he also did, closely attended hy
| two OF the Beers.
Are you hungry, rooibaaje," asked ono in
English.
John answered that he was.
Tie his hands behind him, and let Us SOC If
he can catch in his mouth, like Il dog" sug-
gested one of the gentle youths,
mo, no; make him eat pap with wooden
spoon, like Il Katlir,' sail another. | will
feed him if you have n very long spoon"
| Here again was legitimate cause for mc'r-
mcnt, but il ;''n cui matters were conJro-
missed by lump OF hitnns aAl "a piece of
bread beins, thrown to him from IN" other
! end of the room. He caught thoiA uld pro-
ceeled to eat, trying to conceal hi, IYsyerous
! hunger as much as possible from the circle of
onlookers who clustered round to watch The
operation
Suddenly one of the men remembered
about the young fellow whom he had thrown
backward Off the horse and who WA, lying
very sick in the next room, and suggested that
measures of retaliation should be taken, which
would undoubtedly have been donc had not
! the elderly Boer who had commanded tho
! party interpo,ed. This man was Getting
drunk like the others, but fortu iately for
John he got amiably drunk.
Let him alone he said, let him alone.
We will send him to the comnandant to-
morrow. Frank Muller will know how to
| deal with him"
| John thought to himself that he certainly
would.
Nov, for myself, the man Went Oh with a
! hiccough, II bear no malice. We have
| thrashed the British and they have given up
the country, so let bygones be bygoues 7
say. Almighty, yes! | am not proud, not
| If an EnSishman takes or his hat to me
shall acknowledge it,"
This STAYED the fellows Off for n while, bur
presently Johns protector went away, and
then the others began to get playful, They
| got their rifles and amused themselves with
leveling them at him, and making sham bets
as to where they would hit him. John, see
ing the emergency, backed his chair we'll into
the corner Of the wall and drew hi, revolver,
| which fortunately for himself he still knd
"lt any man interferes with me- by God,
! I'll shoot him." he said, in good English,
which they did not fail to understand. Tn
| doubtedly as the evening went on 1t was only
the possession of this revolver and his evident
determination to use it that saved hi, life
At last things got very bad indeed, 50 bad
that he found it absolutely necessary to keep
his eyes continually fixed, now ON one and
now on another, to prevent their putting a
| bullet through him unawares. He had twice
appealed to the old woman, Hans Coetzees
wife, but she sat in her big chair with "A sweet
smile upon her fat face and refused to inter
! fere. 1t is not eve.y day that one gets the
! chance of seeing real live English rooibaatje
bait.sd like an ant bear on the fiat.
| Presently, just as John in desperation was
making up his mind to begin shooting right
and left, the old woman seeing that matters
were getting beyond joke, came waddling
down the room with marvellous activity and
! threw herself between them.
"There there she said, cutting right anG
left with her fat fists, "be Off with you,
every one. l can't have this noise going on
here, Come, Off you all go, and get the
horses into the stable; they. will be right away